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Hiring a labor relations specialist in Denver, CO

Employers in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area pay labor relations specialists a median of $84,390, with the middle half of the market between $75,350 and $121,120. Denver residents working in business and financial operations occupations report a median of $87,149, which is 3% above what the metro pays for this role.

What does a labor relations specialist earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile$75,350
Median$84,390
75th percentile$121,120

Half of labor relations specialists in this area earn between $75,350 and $121,120. A band set below $75,350 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Denver residents earn

$87,149

Median earnings of Denver residents working in business and financial operations occupations, 39,506 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 3% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The two sit close together, so pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

  • Negotiate collective bargaining agreements.
  • Investigate and evaluate union complaints or arguments to determine viability.
  • Propose resolutions for collective bargaining or other labor or contract negotiations.
  • Draft contract proposals or counter-proposals for collective bargaining or other labor negotiations.
  • Interpret contractual agreements for employers and employees engaged in collective bargaining or other labor relations processes.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 13-1075.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Oracle HRIS, Kubernetes, Microsoft Access.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Denver?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

That matters here, because 55.6% of Denver adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Denver commute runs 25.4 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 24.4% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Denver County, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services employs 10,201 and turns over 8.1% a quarter, with 1,337 hires against 991 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $10,223 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5412.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about labor relations specialists. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $16,878 to $25,317 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a labor relations specialist somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other business and financial operations roles in Denver

Related

Denver is the largest of 3 Colorado cities in this dataset.